212 



0. B. HARDENBERG. 



percentage of parasitised individuals and other causes. The 

 species seems to be difficult to rear, for out of some fifty bags 

 collected at Durban, all containing live larvae, only five male 

 moths were obtained and a couple of females. While this 

 might conceivably be due to the transference of the specimens 

 from Durban to New Hanover, Mr. Piatt at Durban had no 

 better success, and the Rev. Junod, in his article above 

 mentioned, complains anent other species of this genus that 

 while the bags are fairly common, it is very difficult to rear 

 the adult. 



The Bag. — This has been fittingly described by Junod as 

 an ambulating pagoda (text-fig. 20, a, b). The bag of the 

 fully-groAvn larva is about 12 mm. long, shaped somewhat 

 like a four-sided pyramid with flaring base. It consists of an 

 inner, cylindrical bag of white silk, to the outer surface of 

 which are attached small pieces of the skeletonised leaf of the 

 food-plant. These pieces are fastened to the bag by tiieir 

 upper edge only, and flare outward at an angle of about 

 45 degrees. Each succeeding piece (towards the mouth end) 

 is larger than its predecessor, and has its end fastened to the 

 bag underneath the projecting part of the previous one. The 

 inside silken case is nearly cylindrical, and its cephalic end is 

 free and movable in all directions. Looking at the bag from 

 the mouth end, this part projects from the centre of the leafy 

 covering like the pistil of a flower. The small size of the 

 entire structure, the symmetrical arrangement, the skeletonised 

 condition of the covering leaflets (making them appear like 

 pieces of lace), all combine to give a delicate appearance to 



Text-fig. 20. — Mondii delicatissima Wlk. 

 A. First bag of young larva, x 13. B. Bag of larva in last instar ; 

 in this example the leaves had not been skeletonised as usual. 



X 3'3. c. Larva in first instar, showing extreme dorso-flexion of 

 abdominal segments, x 13. D. Side view of larva in last instar. 



X 7. E. Front view of head of full-grown larva, showing setae and 

 ocellar area. X . F. Antenna of larva in last instar. G. Labrum 

 of larva in last instar. showing arrangement of setae, x . H. 

 Subocellar area of larva in last instar, showing setae, x . i. 

 Front of head of full-grown larva, showing pattern, x 13. 

 K. Thoracic shields of full-grown larva, showing pattern, x 20. 



